PS Plus Extra is losing its fourth big JRPG series in two years PS Plus Extra is losing Dragon Quest, which marks the fourth big JRPG franchise to leave Sony's subscription service in the span of two years.Lee Brady Published 19 Sep 2024 FollowtopicsDRAGON QUEST XI S: Echoes of an Elusive AgeSquare EnixPlayStation PlusLee Brady The games leaving PS Plus in October 2024 have been revealed and it looks like we're going to have to rush through those Dragon Quest XI S Echoes of an Elusive Age trophies before they go. With PS Plus Extra losing Dragon Quest, subscribers are losing their fourth big JRPG franchise since the service launched — a trend that sends a bad message to any RPG fans interested in PS Plus Extra.PS Plus Extra loses another Square Enix RPG series with Dragon QuestFive Dragon Quest games are set to leave PS Plus Extra on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, including the much-beloved mainline entry Dragon Quest XI S. After losing Final Fantasy back in May 2024, and then losing Star Ocean in September 2024, now we've only got Kingdom Hearts as the last remaining Square Enix RPG series with strong support on PS Plus Extra.If we also count Sega's Like a Dragon series — which left PS Plus Extra throughout 2023 — that makes four major Japanese RPG franchises which have all joined and subsequently left Sony's subscription service since it launched in 2022.If you are a fan of Japanese RPGs, you're not entirely out of luck just yet with PS Plus Extra. Aside from Kingdom Hearts, there's also the Tales games, Disgaea, Sword Art Online, and two Ys games to enjoy. Also, there's plenty more classic Sony-published JRPGs like Wild Arms and Rogue Galaxy on PS Plus Premium.List of Dragon Quest games leaving PS Plus soonDragon Quest XI S — roughly 55 hours to beat and 100 hours to platinumDragon Quest Heroes — roughly 25 hours to beat and 60 hours to platinumDragon Quest Heroes 2 — roughly 30 hours to beat and 200 hours to platinumDragon Quest Builders — roughly 35 hours to beat and 70 hours to platinumDragon Quest Builders 2 — roughly 55 hours to beat and 110 hours to platinumThat said, having alternative JRPGs available doesn't address the fundamental problem that we're seeing once again with Dragon Quest's removal: it's just too risky to play JRPGs on PS Plus Extra.Lee — PS Plus Extra and JRPGs are not compatibleWith Sony showing us for the fourth time in two years how reliable it is when it comes to dropping JRPG franchises from PS Plus Extra, it's hard to imagine any fan of the genre ever being compelled to pick up a subscription.Given Sony's strong relationship with Square Enix at the launch of PS Plus Extra — bringing big franchises like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Kingdom Hearts to the service — you might have thought that PS Plus was going to be a safe haven for JRPG fans to play a library of their favorite games.However, two years later, Sony has done everything to convince JRPG fans that their games, in particular, are most at risk of removal. Franchises like Assassin's Creed and Lego might hang around PS Plus Extra indefinitely, but the same rule does not apply to the genre that benefits most from that lengthy availability.JRPGs like Dragon Quest take a long time to finish and often require a lot of grinding, so JRPG fans need that lengthy availability more than most. With players only getting a month's notice for a game leaving PS Plus Extra, there's usually not enough time to finish one of these games completely. It makes starting any JRPG on PS Plus much too risky, as we might not finish the game before they're removed.Sony's fast-and-loose attitude to JRPGs in particular is a shame, and not only because the lack of availability turns away JRPG fans, but because also robs PS Plus Extra of the sense of identity it initially had.It felt briefly for a time like Sony was building up a more selective platform than Microsoft's Game Pass with its strong JRPG library — one that prioritized pedigree over recency. Thus, we had most of the Final Fantasy and Like a Dragon games, cool additions like the Star Ocean franchise, and Dragon Quest.Now, it's clear that whatever intention might have been there to build PS Plus into some kind of "Criterion Collection for gaming," it's devolved into something murkier. It's hard to get enthused about new JRPGs like Sword Art Online coming to PS Plus Extra now that we know these type of games are always doomed to leave too soon.If you are a JRPG fan with a PS5 and PS4, it's far more rewarding these days to see classic games come to PS Plus Premium. At least games added to PS Plus Premium seem less likely to leave, and that includes cool JRPGs like the PSP game Jeanne d'Arc and the PS1 game Wild Arms 2.Even then, PS Plus Premium did just lose a bunch of Star Ocean games, so it's far from perfect. However, at least with its roster of Sony-published JRPGs, you can feel a sense of comfort in knowing they'll likely be available for the foreseeable future.Meanwhile, If you're subscribed to PS Plus Extra, let the loss of Dragon Quest remind you that the best PS Plus games are fleeting, so you should play your favorites ASAP. Otherwise, if you are a JRPG fan, you should avoid the service until Sony improves its track record. Will you be trying to finish the Dragon Quest games on PS Plus before they leave? Let us know down in the comments.More DRAGON QUEST XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age stories: PS Plus Extra and Premium to lose 11 games in October 2024 Best PS5 JRPGs to play in September 2024 Poll: Vote for the best PS4 games we missed PlayStation Plus Written by Lee BradyStaff Writer Lee keeps one eye on the future (Astro Bot), one eye on the past (PS1, PS2, and PS3 games), and his secret third eye on junk he really likes (Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Sonic). A PlayStation fan for over 25 years, he loves replaying classic games via PS Plus.